Fathers and Sons
by Igiveup
Summary: Larry reflects on his relationship with his father.


Charlie was walking across the CalSci campus, making his way to the bike racks. It was lunch time and Charlie didn't want to eat the so-called

"food" that they served in the cafeteria. As he approached a tree he caught

sight of Larry sitting in its shade.

"Hey Larry. I was about to get some lunch. Do you want to join me?"

When Larry looked up, Charlie stopped short. The older man was palerthan usual, and his eyes looked a little red.

"Are you all right? Is something wrong?"

Larry shook his head. "It's nothing, Charles. I just didn't get enoughsleep last night."

Charlie didn't believe him, but decided to let it go.

"You know I'm here if you need someone to talk to, don't you?"

Larry managed a small smile." Yes I know. Thank you Charles."

Charlie walked away. He wondered what was wrong. He hoped everything

would be all right.

Larry watched Charlie walk off. He was great friend. Larry knew Charlie had meant it when he said he would listen if Larry felt like talking. But

there was no way he could understand what was wrong.

Larry removed a scrap of newspaper from his pocket. It was from the obituaries. It was Jim Fleinhardt, his father. According to the

obituary, the cause of death was a massive stroke.

Larry leaned back against the tree and closed his eyes. He had never been very close to his father.Jim never once told his son that he was proud of him. His only son was a shy and akward bookworm instead of the tough jock he had been hoping for.Charlie could never understand what that was like. Alan Epps made it no secret that he was proud of both his sons and that he loved them.

Larry didn't know if his father had loved him. If he had, he never showed it.

Larry remembered making the chess club in his freshman year of high school. His father didn't say, "good work" instead he asked, "Chess? Why didn't you try out for baseball?"

At least his mother Sarah had been proud of him. She congratulated Larry, and later that night confronted Jim about his reaction. Larry

remembered lying in his bed in the dark, his parents' voices carrying through the walls.

"How could you have been so cruel? Making the chess club was important to him!"

What his father said back hurt as much today as it did back then.

"Some of my co-workers sons go to that school! Do you have any idea how

embarrassing it is to have a son in the chess club? I'm never going to hear the end of it!"

Larry swallowed down the lump in his throat. Even after all theseyears, he was still shocked and hurt to know his father was embarrassed of him.He looked at his watch. He still had thirty minutes before his next class.

He let his mind drift back to the past.

Being a shy and nerdy kid meant getting beat up a lot. Being an only child meant he didn't have anyone to protect him. His father tried to get

Larry to fight back, but it just made the bullies hit back even harder. Larry would sneak into the upstairs bathroom and clean himself off as best he couldbefore his parents saw him. He didn't want his mother to baby him and he knew his father thought he was a wimp.

At least his mother was on his side. She made life bearable. Larry couldn't help but chuckle when he remembered her saying he'd outgrow his nerdy stage. "Guess mothers aren't ALWAYS right." he thought.

He found himself thinking of the day she died. It was his senior year of high school. The chess club was appearing in a tournament, and Sarahhad gone to give her son moral support. Larry remembered looking out at the crowd, wondering why she hadn't shown up yet. Then his father had ranin. He grabbed Larry's arm and dragged him outside."What's going on? Where's mom?" Larry had asked. It was then his father toldhim that Sarah had been killed by a drunk driver on her way to the tournament.Larry still felt responsible for his mother's death, even though he knew it really wasn't his fault. Jim seemed to blame him, however. Larry could still see his accusing glare. Larry shook his head, trying to erase thememory.

A gentle breeze rustled the leaves of the tree. Larry sighed. Once more his mind drifted to the past. To the day he graduated high school.

Larry had been excited that he was leaving the bullies for good. But he was sad that his mother would not be there to see him get his diploma. Jim wasn't there either, he had to work. Before he left Larry told his father to have a good day. It was the last time he spoke to him. Larry had an academic scholarship for CalSci. He stayed with his aunt until he could afford a place of his own. After completing his education,Larry was finally able to do something he had always wanted to do: teach. The job had its ups and downs but for the most part it was a very rewarding job. It really made his day when Charlie told him that Larry was the reason he decided to teach.Larry glanced at his watch again. He had just enough time to get to class. As he walked back he thought about his feelings. About how he wasn'tmore upset that his father had died. He was sorry that Jim was dead, he really was. But he wasn't sorry that Jim was gone.

The End


End file.
